Wipfli Partners With KnowBe4 to Bolster Security Portfolio

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Wipfli LLP (Wipfli), a top 20 national accounting and consulting firm, announced it has joined the KnowBe4 partner program to provide more robust service offerings in the cybersecurity space. With a focus on managing social engineering — a critical and ongoing cybersecurity threat — KnowBe4 is the world’s largest security awareness and simulated phishing platform.

“Organizations are looking for security software to enable their customers’ last line of defense — their people. Users have an important role to play in reducing the risk inside their organizations, and the only way for them to be effective is to be properly educated and aware of the current threats,” said Sara Valtin, KnowBe4’s Vice President of Global Channel. “We’ve taken a ‘new school’ approach to security awareness training that’s interactive and relevant for users by addressing the importance of building the human firewall. We’re pleased to welcome Wipfli as a partner.”

To keep pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape, Wipfli is committed to focusing on its clients’ needs by offering a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity solutions. The firm has worked diligently over the past few decades to develop services that help businesses proactively manage and mitigate mounting cybersecurity threats. Through its relationship with KnowBe4, Wipfli will leverage the company’s suite of simulated phishing attacks, case studies, demonstration videos and tests to better serve clients by deepening its understanding of the mechanics of spam, phishing, malware and social engineering attacks.

“We often stress to our clients that cybersecurity isn’t an IT issue — it’s a business issue that can trigger major operational, financial and reputational consequences if it isn’t addressed appropriately,” said Robert Cedergren, partner in charge of Wipfli’s Risk Advisory Services practice. “Employee education, knowledge-sharing and training are all essential to helping businesses hedge against cyberattacks and defend their bottom line. KnowBe4’s platform and deep experience in the cybersecurity space will be invaluable to helping us better protect and serve our clients for years to come.”

Internal training and awareness are critical components of Wipfli’s cybersecurity portfolio, considering many of today’s cyberattacks rely on social engineering and email phishing to access sensitive information. According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Report, phishing and pretexting represent 98% of social incidents and 93% of breaches. Wipfli helps prevent attacks by ensuring its business advisors have the knowledge they need to work with clients to evaluate their key business operations and critical data, identify weaknesses and introduce solutions to address them.

In its phishing benchmarking study, KnowBe4 found a radical drop of careless clicking from 27% Phish-proneTM percentage to just 13% 90 days after initial training and simulated phishing commenced. The study saw careless clicking drop even further to 2% after 12 months of combined phishing and computer-based training.

About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest integrated security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 20,000 organizations worldwide. Founded by data and IT security expert Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness of ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to security awareness training. Kevin Mitnick, internationally recognized computer security expert and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design KnowBe4’s training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Thousands of organizations trust KnowBe4 to mobilize their end-users as the last line of corporate IT defense.

Number 96 on the 2018 Inc. 500 list, #70 on 2017 Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 and #2 in Cybersecurity Ventures Cybersecurity 500. KnowBe4 is headquartered in Tampa Bay, Florida with European offices in England, the Netherlands, Germany and offices in South Africa and Singapore.